First Impressions at the Stadium

It was our first face-to-face meeting. I was genuinely grateful that she had suggested we step outside for some fresh air after so long. But why did it feel like there was definitely another motive hidden behind that suggestion?

"Sis. What is that massive stadium sitting right in the middle of the park?"

"Wait... can we ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠even call this place a park? Wasn't it originally a walking trail next to the stadium that just ended up looking like a park because the stadium is so ridiculously huge?"

The fact that there were unusually large numbers of people wearing red uniforms and dark blue ones around us made it pretty easy to guess where she'd brought me. When I pressed her with a tone that suggested I already knew everything, she finally raised the white flag.

"Yeah, okay... I figured you'd catch on right away, so I wasn't really planning to hide it. Just like you guessed, this is the dedicated home stadium for VA Korea Champions, or VKC for short."

If that enormous stadium was indeed the VKC's exclusive arena, it was probably where they held the domestic league matches. Wait a second. Did that mean the café and restaurant I'd chosen were also facilities inside the VKC stadium?

"You weren't planning to bring me here no matter whether I picked a restaurant ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠or a café, were you? Please tell me this wasn't an answer-determined-in-advance situation..."

Given her track record of flashy stunts up until now, it was entirely plausible. I floated the question carefully to test the waters.

"Ah... haha... no way. You like pasta, right? If you'd chosen the restaurant, I was thinking of an Italian place. And for the café..."

Just as I expected, she had clearly intended to drag me here regardless of what I picked.

"Ha... whatever. At least suggesting we come out for some fresh air wasn't a complete lie."

"So, VKC Stadium? It looks like it's related to the domestic league. Why exactly did you bring me here? If you wanted tickets, you'd have to book them in advance..."

...Don't tell me she'd already bought the tickets?

She seemed to read my thoughts immediately and confessed the truth without hesitation.

"Actually, I've been buying two tickets every single day, so we could go anytime. But today just happens to be a big match, so I figured I'd bring you along."

Aha... So the reason there were so many people in uniforms wasn't just because we were near the stadium. It was because today was a big match.

"Exactly which teams are playing?"

I had a rough idea, but the uniform designs between my first world and this one were slightly different, and there was always the chance of variables. So I asked anyway.

"It's the first regular season match between V4 and ZX. Both teams are sitting at 5 wins and 0 losses."

If both were at five wins, the league had probably developed into a clear two-team race by now. A head-to-head between two undefeated top teams at this point was definitely exciting.

"Both teams are incredibly popular, aren't they?"

Moreover, I remembered that V4 and ZX were prestigious organizations with deep histories in the e-sports scene and correspondingly huge fanbases, which made this an even bigger matchup.

"Especially since ZX is running an 8-man roster right now. It's not a bad opportunity to scout players for next season. If you see anyone you like while watching, just let me know."

"In my previous life they ran a 10-man roster from the first season, so I guess starting with an 8-man roster here is the same tradition?"

"Well... it's a long-standing ZX tradition, isn't it? They poach the best players from every team, watch them for a season, then keep only the ones who are actually useful or cheap to manage."

That was why I remembered ZX always having high-level individual talent but often falling apart in crucial teamfight moments.

"But with a variable like you appearing, who knows if that'll stay the same."

Hmm... would it? I didn't have any particular interest in ZX anyway, so I wasn't sure if my mere existence would change the organization's fundamental identity.

While we were chatting casually and heading into the stadium, a man suddenly approached me.

"Excuse me! Could I possibly get your number...? You're exactly my type..."

"Ah...?"

My sister looked momentarily ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠flustered when she saw my wavering eyes, but she quickly grabbed my arm and dragged me into a corner of the stadium.

Fortunately, the man didn't manage to follow us all the way into the massive stadium after we disappeared so suddenly. Only after pushing through the huge crowd with my sister and reaching a secluded corner did we finally catch our breath.

"Did something go wrong with the illusion magic?"

"No, it's not that. It's just... the timing was really unfortunate."

Then what was it? Weren't we supposed to be invisible to other people?

"It's nothing serious, so let's head up to somewhere without people first. I'll explain there."

It wasn't long before security guards—who my sister must have contacted in advance—appeared to guide us. The place they led us to was a luxurious private box equipped with sofas, various snacks, and drinks.

"I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠specially prepared the VVIP seats. You really hate being around crowds, don't you? Of course, I hate it even more."

"And what happened earlier was that I temporarily turned off the illusion magic to get guided to the VVIP section by security, and that guy immediately made his move the second I did."

Wait... he dashed in during that split second? But considering that no one had noticed our presence until I turned the illusion off, it seemed plausible.

"Good grief... so what exactly happens when you walk around with the illusion turned off?"

"Why? Want to try it once?"

"Ugh... no thanks."

I didn't even want to imagine it. Excessive attention and flirtation was only fun when received indirectly through broadcasts. Facing it directly was something else entirely.

"By the way, do you know exactly when the match starts?"

The moment I asked, the analysts appeared on the screen.

"Oh? It looks like it's about to start soon. We arrived right on time."

Just as my sister said, the players were making their entrance into the center of the arena—which had only been filled with the voices of casters, commentators, and the murmuring of the crowd—signaling the official start of the match.

"ZX really came loaded with nothing but S-rank or higher players."

They'd gone from ten players in my first life to eight in this one, but the roster was so flashy it almost felt excessive.

"If you wanted, we have enough resources to build a team like that too... but that's not really our style, is it?"

Just like she said, I had no intention of creating a team where the starting lineup competition became overheated.

"Besides, that kind of thing only works in the early stages. Later on, starting position battles just become toxic."

I remembered how, in my first life, teams had blindly copied ZX's 10-man roster after seeing them win the entire season and all major tournaments with it. Every single team that tried to imitate them had failed miserably and gone downhill.

"Plus, the rules changed midway so that only a maximum of six players could be on the roster anyway. Wouldn't this world eventually limit it to five?"

I recalled that as the league became more structured, regulations had been introduced to prevent large organizations like ZX, V4, and GOD from monopolizing all the S-rank players. If that was the case, how quickly would those checks be implemented in this world, where overall progress was faster and the e-sports industry itself was vastly larger?

"Since I can get involved in player recruitment, I really don't want to create a team like that."

My sister smiled slightly at my words and asked,

"Then what kind of team do you want to build?"

Hmm... what kind of team?

"I want to create a team where everything is perfect."

When I played as a mid laner in AVL, we always reached the league and Worlds quarterfinals or semifinals, but there was always that lingering regret in the Worlds finals. On the other hand, there were teams that performed poorly in the league but absolutely dominated once they reached Worlds. I had no intention of settling for half-success like either of those.

That meant I needed to build the ultimate team—one that could seize everything from the regular season to Worlds. A team as close to perfection as possible. Only then would my wish come true.

"Good. That's an excellent resolve. But I have one question."

"If building that perfect team means poaching key players from other teams and, in the process, weakening the powerhouses of the original timeline... will the career you write on top of those fallen teams truly be worth it?"

...She had a point. If I took someone like Lapez, who had been a franchise star for V4, and brought him to SC, would that V4 still become as strong as they were in their prime in my previous life? Would the championships and career I built by defeating those weakened teams actually mean anything?

After organizing my thoughts and refocusing on the match that was already well underway, I began to notice a player who hadn't stood out earlier.

ZX Starlight. He kept losing tempo in the flow of game one, as if he wasn't communicating properly with his teammates. His struggles overlapped with the ending I remembered from my previous life. I also recalled that among the current eight players on ZX's roster, he was the only one whose career had ended early.

As expected, as the game progressed into the later stages, he began to wander noticeably and expose more and more weaknesses.

With V4's core damage dealer Lapez instantly picking off Starlight, who had drifted slightly away from his main team, the fight turned into a 3-versus-4. As a result, the other ZX players—who had been leading in lane priority and macro—began falling one by one to V4's explosive teamfight power.

Although V4 had taken some damage in the fight, it was clearly a turning point that could flip the game. With the dragon spawn timing coinciding perfectly, V4—who had been pushed around since the early game—began to turn the match around.

In the fight over the Demon King, they once again burst Starlight first, ultimately securing the game without losing a single player and solidly closing it out.